Summer Solstice Party

Our Summer Solstice Party (celebrating the longest day of the year) was a big hit everyone had so much fun! I had read a bit about traditional Swedish Midsommer Party and about Solstice Parties and combined aspects from the two. Yellow and Orange were the colors I chose for the party, very sun like. Eddy hooked up the big speakers to his ipad and he chose the music which is usually my realm we enjoyed some Journey, Tim McGraw, and other country hits. The kids were very excited about the party especially the backyard pool even though we go to a real pool all the time having one your own backyard is pretty awesome according to Archy.

Our menu:

Ciabatti onion poppy seed buns with lettuce, tomato, green chiles and horseradish cheddar

Hamburgers (grilled on Eddy's Father's Day present)

Sun Chips-French Onion (what better chip for a sun party)

Carrots and Homemade Ranch Dip

Corn on Cob 

Fruit Kabobs

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and Brownies

Lemonade

Ice Water with lemon and orange slices

Group flashing the Sun Devil Sign 

(Eddy and I graduated from Arizona State University, so we are all a family of devils!)

Good Eats: Eddy, Archy, Quinton

Zany and Coy

Fruit Kabobs, so easy, and you could have a kid assemble them but they were all enjoying the pool. 

Fruit Kabobs (strawberry, pineapple, grape, blueberry)

Forget butter and salt my favorite way to eat corn these days is Mayo and Tajin (found the produce section it's a chile lime spice-tasty) I put a little Ranch dip made with greek yogurt and cottage cheese and spices so good!

Corn on Cob with Tajin

Archy with his fruit kabob

Everyone enjoying kabobs in the pool

Finally figured out how to enjoy a fire in the summer have a pool of cold water so you can get chilly in the pool then warm up by the fire then to get chilly head back to the pool. 

I bought a couple of packages of glow in the dark bracelets at the dollar store and planned on making really cool glow in the dark bubbles with some of them and putting others in the pool to light it up a bit. Eddy and I painstakingly cracked then cut open the bracelets milking them into the bubble solution. We had added six bracelets of juice and the solution would glow but the bubbles didn't so we decided to add more glow in dark juice when Eddy knocked over the bubbles and spilled them all over his shorts which glowed for a bit.  We gave up on it and the kid soon adorned themselves with glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces.

Picture taken without flash glow bracelets on kids but you can't see kids in pool

Boys warming up by fire

It worked! Our first batch of homemade ice cream was so good and easy. It didn't make a lot since it is only 1.5 qt one but we had it with brownies. It was worth the thrift store gamble

Zany and Eddy enjoying dessert

I bought sparklers but forgot to do them and we were going to make a burning man with everyones negative things attached then burn it. Things you want to get out of your life like selfishness or pettiness.  Summer solstice being about six months from all the new years goals that you made gives you an opportunity to take personal inventory and see where you are and where you want to make improvements in your life.  We spent the rest of the night hanging out in the pool and sitting by the fire listening to music and watching the stars. It was really lovely we are definitely doing it again next year.